Wake
by thumos
Summary: After receiving the news of her dear friend's death, Maiko insists on traveling back to her old home to attend the funeral.


_When playing Persona 3, you need to treat it like "Moulin Rouge" – shut the game off right after the main character returns after the Great Seal, just like, in "Moulin Rouge," you turn the movie off after the curtain closes in the end… Or, you could be idealistic and say he/she just fell asleep._

_Anywho, I've decided to name the main character Misaki; it's close enough to "Minako" without risking any typos that might lead to gender confusion. There will be hints of Shinji/FeMC. Nothing against the other pairings; I just happen to like Shinji/FeMC more than the others. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

When Maiko first heard the news, she didn't believe it. Misaki-chan, succumbing to Apathy Syndrome and ultimately dying from it? Impossible! Misaki-chan was always so cheerful and happy; there was no way she could possibly catch the disease, let alone die from it!

Her mother was not pleased with her constant pestering to attend the funeral, to put it lightly. Maiko cried until she had no tears left and screamed at the top of her lungs, but her mother stubbornly refused. Why? Didn't Misaki-chan help her find Maiko when she ran away that time? Did her mother hate Misaki-chan so much that she didn't even want to attend her funeral? It wasn't Misaki-chan's fault that she caught Apathy Syndrome!

But, in the end, Maiko's mother finally relented, even though they had to come all the way to Maiko's old home to attend. It was to be Maiko's first funeral, and her mother made sure that she wore all black; apparently, it was customary for people to wear black to funerals. Likewise, everyone else was dressed in black. There were a lot of people there – not a single person that Maiko recognized.

Seated at the very front was a group of boys and girls close to Misaki-chan's age, except for one boy around Maiko's age and a dog. There was a beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair with an expressionless face, though Maiko didn't miss the way her head was slightly bowed. Next to her were two boys about the same age – one with short silvery hair who looked like he was about to cry, and another who towered over everyone else there, who wore a solemn expression on his face. There were two girls – one with short brown hair and one with short blue hair – hugging each other and sobbing openly. A little ways behind the two girls was another boy with short dark hair, tightly clutching a pale girl's hand and sniffling. The boy around Maiko's age had his gaze fixed on the floor, and the dog simply sat there, its head bowed.

There were others sitting behind the group of teenagers, some in the same row as Maiko, others one to two rows in front or behind – an old man and an old woman, both openly sobbing, a girl with long black hair in a ponytail, a foreign-looking blonde boy, a boy with a smug expression, and even President Tanaka from that TV show with that catchy theme song Maiko's mother watched. Just how many people had Misaki-chan touched with her kindness?

These were Misaki-chan's friends, Maiko realized. Why else would they be here? They were all here for the same reason – to mourn the passing of a dear friend. An old monk recited some words in a language Maiko didn't recognize, his voice heavy. The group of teenagers spun a burning stick around three times in front of a pot, each of them holding onto the sticks like they were the only things that mattered. "This is only part of the funeral, Maiko," Maiko's mother said in a whisper. "The family offers incense three times to the deceased." After a few minutes, Maiko's mother stood up. "Come, Maiko. We must do the same." It wasn't until Maiko finally held that incense stick that she finally burst into tears, and she'd never been more grateful for her mother's comforting hand on her shoulder.

"This isn't fair," Maiko sobbed. "She never should have…"

"Oh Maiko…" Maiko's mother said with a sigh, as she set down the incense stick. Out of the corner of her eye, Maiko could see Misaki-chan's family – Misaki-chan didn't look anything like any of them, so were they really her family? – standing by her casket. "They're keeping vigil," Maiko's mother explained. "They will stay with her until her cremation."

"I want to stay vigil too!" Maiko replied, choking on tears.

Her mother simply sighed. "No, Maiko."

"Why not?" Maiko demanded. "Misaki-chan was my friend too!" The tears were back, now more forceful than ever.

"I have work tomorrow," her mother replied a bit too quickly. "It will take some time to get back home, and I can't miss a day of work so soon after I started." Maiko felt her mother's hand wrap tightly around her own. "Let's go, Maiko."

And with that, they left, and, no matter how much Maiko convinced herself that Misaki-chan wouldn't want to see her this way, she couldn't stop crying.

* * *

_The process described in this oneshot is Wake, a part of a Buddhist funeral. Immediate relatives are seated close to the front – in this case, all of SEES (plus Chidori) – and the rest are seated behind them. A Buddhist priest – Mutatsu, in this fic – recites a section from a sutra, and everyone offers incense three times, with family performing the ritual right in front of the deceased and the rest of the guests doing the same at another location behind the family members' seats. _

_Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Buddhist funerals, and I had to look all the information provided up online. If there are any inaccuracies or discrepancies, please let me know, and I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, shape or form. _

_Please review!_


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